CUCrC 125th Anniversary Celebrations – April 2018

CUCrC 125th Anniversary Celebrations – April 2018

The CUCrC marked its 125th Anniversary in style on Saturday 21st April 2018 with a superb day of team racing at Grafham Water followed by an excellent dinner in Darwin College. The weather smiled on the whole weekend, with perfect conditions for sailing and excellent weather for the sightseeing many indulged in on the Sunday.

Sailing

Twelve pairs entered the Random Pairs event and had a feast of team racing under the guiding hands of Jo Lucas and Keith Sammons. Richard Thompson and Mark Struckett umpired the event, ably ensuring that there were no hard feelings after any incident. It was good to see one all girl pair (Sarah Sims/née Griffiths and Claire Horwood/née Broadbent) – and they left no less than two male and mixed pairs in their wake! At the end of the day Josh Flack and Milly Stephens were winners with James Pinder and Helmi Burton-Papp runners-up. Detailed results will be available for a time on the kSail website.

Social

With the 125th Anniversary sailing over, no less than 90 members headed to Darwin College for the Dinner. Darwin lived up to its reputation and an excellent evening was had by all, with an additional room being available for pre and post dinner drinks. President Mike Hayles sketched the success of the Club in recent years, playing tribute to the many people who have contributed to that success. Anthony Butler filled in details of the successes of the Club’s team members, and the company applauded the 14 sailors present.

Guest speaker Ian Walker judged the moment perfectly and entertained everyone with a witty and wide-ranging speech. He also outlined some of the challenges facing sailing – and himself as Director of Racing for the RYA.

A big thank you to everyone who helped during the 125th Anniversary day, particularly students. Even as this report is being penned, some are already sitting their engineering exams! Ian Liddell lodged the winning bid for the Peter Scott painting – but others will have an opportunity to try in three years time.